Job Hunting 101: How To Get It Right
To help you prepare for the job hunt, Aaron Mwewa interviewed distinguished Public Relations Professor Bill Smullen. Bill Smullen was appointed as the Director of National Security Studies at the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs in June of 2003. He is also Maxwell’s Senior Fellow in National Security and a member of the faculty of Syracuse University’s S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications as a Professor of Public Relations.
Prior to his appointment at Syracuse University, he was the Chief of Staff to Secretary of State Colin L. Powell and of the U.S. Department of State beginning in January 2001. Among his career accomplishments, he has been elected to Syracuse University’s S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications Hall of Fame, the U.S. Army Public Affairs Hall of Fame, the University of Maine ROTC Hall of Fame, and was chosen as the recipient of the University of Maine 2007 Alumni Career Award, which is the highest honor presented by the University of Maine Alumni Association. He received the 2007 Public Relations Society of America’s Lloyd B. Dennis Distinguished Leadership Award.
Aaron: I talked to some former students, who are friends of mine who still have not been able to find jobs. What is the problem? Is it because they are not looking in the right place?
Smullen: Looking for a job is like going shopping in a very big mall. If you know what you want to buy, you are likely going to find it quickly and be gone as opposed to spending endless hours searching aimlessly. When looking for a job, you need to start the search early while still in school. Right in school, you need to be clear about what you are working towards. If you are not, kindly consult the many useful resources at your disposal within the campus community and beyond. You need to determine early on the sector which you want to work in. Is it the public, private or non-profit sector? Once you determine which sector that will be then you should narrow down your opportunities to the companies or organizations which impress you in the way they do things. The culture of the company or organization should be a determining factor. Do you like the culture? Can you be happy working in such a place? These questions should inform the list that you come up with. Then start pursuing opportunities with these institutions online and in the press.
Aaron: How can you get the sense of the culture of an institution without having interned there or had close contact with its employees?
Smullen: There is a lot of evidence in publications such as the New York Times and Wall Street Journal that will tell you whether a company is moving in the right direction. You can also spend some time listening to what the organization’s leaders say whenever they appear in public or the press. The Wall Street Journal has a special section once a month where it interviews CEOs once a month of different firms, who talk about how they have found success. That would indicate to you what type of culture they are trying to create in their firms. You can also talk to people who work in the field you want to go into. They can provide you with useful information even if they do not work for the firm which you are interested in working for. You can also talk to our vast alumni network on what they know about the different companies in their field which might be appealing to you. If you are fortunate to find someone who worked with that organization already, have a conversation with that person.
Through your research, once you have determined which companies appeal to you, then you make a pitch if they have any vacancies. Make a pitch of your ability to fit into their culture. Your pitch comes in a variety of forms, which includes a resume showing what you have done that far which connects to the sort of person they are looking for. If you have an E-Portfolio, which is what we trying to help you students to build, you are likely going to entice them more as it has a lot of content that can show them that you are the right person for the job.
Aaron: For us studying Public Relations, I think an E-Portfolio is just a must-have. In today’s competitive job market, could it be a useful tool for people in other fields as well?
Smullen: It is important for everyone to have some form of solid presence online. Anything that illustrates who you are and your skills set is very important in your job search. This includes things that can appeal to your potential boss to the point that he or should would want you on their team. One of the things, which I emphasize in a resume in addition to your experience is to have a paragraph at the top that emphasizes your strengths that fits what is being looked for in the job vacancy description.
Aaron: How does that paragraph in your resume differ from what will be in the cover letter?
Smullen: You do not have to be repetitive. The two items should supplement each other. Your cover must just be 3 paragraphs. What you are seeking (What you what), what are your strengths (What you have) and lastly, if they hire you, why they will not regret s(What you will deliver). Just those 3 issues. The rest should be in your resume and E-Portfolio. You cover letter should be short and to the point. People make the mistake of rumbling on and on in cover letters. There is no need to do that. These are busy people you are writing to who do not have a lot of time to read your laborious application letters on how spectacular you are. That comes in your resume and E-Portfolio. Just draw them in with your cover letter. Then they will decide if they want to know more about you on their own. After you present your cover letter and resume, hopefully they will want to sit down and have a conversation with you.
